Loom shedding-mechanism control



April 15, 1930. R CR M N 1,754,613

LOOM SHEDDING MECHANISM CONTROL Filed July 9, 1926 Inventor.- j Randolg? flrom iaion b v 2;! 5W7 I I Patented Apr. 15, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RANDOLPH CROMPTON, F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMIPTON, INC., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE LOOM SHEDDING-MECI-IANISM CONTROL Application filed July 9,

My present invention relates to looms, and more particularly aims to provide an improved control mechanism for the shedding means, head-motion or the like, of looms,

6 and especially so-called fancy, colored, or

drop-box looms.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating by way of example an embodiment of one form of my invention Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a loom headmotion having my invention applied thereto, only so much of the loom being illustrated as is required to afford an understanding of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the mechanism shown in, Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the head-motion or shedding control mechanism are mounted on the usual arch, 20 including the front and rear arch members 1,

2, suitably supported on the loom side frames,

and from which the harnesses (not shown) are hung. The head-motion proper, including the pattern chain, harness jacks, and asi sociated parts, may be positioned at either side of the loom, and in the drawin s I have shown them at the right hand side. he arch is provided with the usual bracket 3 on which the harness jacks are pivoted, and has a yokeshaped portion 4 which, together with the bracket 5, supports the pattern chain (not shown), its driving and control mechanism, and related parts. The shaft of the pattern chain cylinder is indicated at 6, having secured to it the driving gear 7.

The pattern control mechanism includes the usual cylinder gears 8, 9, having teeth on only a portion of their circumferences and cooperating with the aligned series of vibrator gears 10 to effect the operation of the proper harness jacks at the desired times to control .the shedding operations, as determined by the pattern chain. The pattern chain cylinder is driven in the known manner from the shaft of one of the cylinder gears, herein the lower cylinder gear 9, through a gear train, generally including eccentric gears, one gear 11 of said train, meshing with the gear 7, being shown in Fig. 1. 5 Said gearing connections for the pattern 1926. Serial No. 121,398.

chain cylinder include both a forward and a reverse train which may selectively be placed in operation at the will of the weaver, by shifting the sliding key or clutch pin 12.

The head-motion receives its power from one of the loom shafts such as the crankshaft or the bottom shaft, from which is driven a vertical shaft 13, Fig. 2, having at its upper end bevel pinions 14:, one of which is seen in said figure respectively meshing with like bevel pinions on'the shafts of the two cylinder gears 8 and 9. At a suitable point the usual clutch mechanism, or head-motion control clutch, is provided whereby the weaver may throw out the drive of the shaft 13 and thus disconnect the head-motion from the remainder of the loom. The shaft of one of the cylinder gears, generally the upper cylinder gear, as herein shown, carries a hand wheel 16.

When for any reason it is desired to stop the shedding operation the weaver throws out said head-motion control clutch. If then it is found necessary to pick out one or more shots of weft from the woven web the described mechanism enables the weaver to open back the harnesses in reverse sequence through successive sheds. To do this, the weaver, after throwing out the head-motion control clutch, shifts the key 12 to connect up with the reverse gear train of the pattern mechanism. He may then operate the harnesses, opening back one pick at a time, by turning the hand wheel 16, the construction and arrangement of the parts generally being such that one turn of said hand wheel will open back the harnesses one pick.

The mechanism so far described may be of the usual or any preferred construction and arrangement, and the single hand wheel 16 referred to is located at the same side of the loom as the head-motion, either the right hand or the left hand side as the case may be. When a pick-out becomes necessary the weaver throws the head-motion out of drive, connects the pattern chain for reverse operation and then while still at that side of the loom upon which the head-motion is located, that is, as herein illustrated, at the right hand side, the weaver turns the hand wheel once,

thus opening back or unweaving one pick. The weaver then proceeds to pick out the weft lying in that particular reopened shed, moving from the loom side at which the headmotion is located, herein the right, across to the opposite or left side.

If then it is found necessary to remove one or more additional picks the operator must recross to the right hand side, from which he started, again turn the hand wheel, and then proceed to pick out, crossing from right to left. This procedure may have to be repeated a number of times, the weaver having to recross in front of the loom, inactively, after the removal of each pick, going back each time to the first side, where the head motion is located, in order to turn the hand wheel and open back to the next shed. It is thus apparent that heretofore the weaver has had to walk twice the length of the loom for each pick to be taken out, crossing in one direction while removing the pick and then walking back, while performing no work, to turn the hand wheel at the head-motion side before beginning the following pick-out.

In accordance with my invention I have provided means in combination with the head-motion whereby the distance traversed by the weaver in a pick-out operation is reduced at least one-half, and whereby the weaver may operate the shedding mechanism from either side of the loom, making an inactive trip across the loom after each pickout unnecessary. This results in a very substantial saving in the time required by the weaver in a pick-out operation and accordingly of the time during which the loom is unproductive, with proportionate saving in labor and manufacturing costs.

Referring again to the drawings, there is located at a suitable point convenient to the hand of the weaver when at the side of the loom opposite to that on which the headmotion is positioned, an auxiliary control mechanism, herein including an auxiliary crank, hand-wheel or the like, 17, on a shaft 18 rotatable in suitable bearings on the arch members 1, 2 or on brackets supported thereby. Said shaft has secured to it a bevel gear 19 meshing with a similar bevel pinion 20 at one end of a shaft 21 extending across the loom and rotatable in bearings 22, 22, 22 at suitable points along the front arch member 1. At its opposite end said shaft 21 carries a bevel pinion 23 similar to the pinion 20 and meshing with a bevel gear 24 similar to the gear 19 and keyed on the shaft of the hand wheel 16.

While I have shown the shaft 21 at the loom front obviously it might be otherwise located, as at the back of the loom and supported on the rear arch member 2 or otherwise. Said shaft is preferably light weight and of relatively small diameter, and to permit the use of such shaft I desirably employ the proportionately sized pinions 20, 23 meshing respectively with the larger bevel gears 19, 24 as shown. Obviously, however, said gears may be otherwise proportioned, such as a pair of similarly sized bevel gears at each end of the shaft, but preferably keeping an accurate one-to-one ratio between the two hand wheels.

By the disclosed mechanism the weaver, after throwing out the head-motion drive and setting the pattern chain reverse gears, may open back one shed by turning the hand wheel 16 at the loom side having the headmotion, herein the right hand side, pick-out across from right to left, then open back one more shed While still at the left of the loom, by turning the auxiliary hand wheel 17 and then immediately continue to pick out weft while moving back across the loom from left to right, continuing said operation, with no unnecessary steps, until all the required picks have been removed. Thus the weaver is not required to make one inactive trip across the loom for every pick to be extracted, but he may work in either direction, controlling the sheds from that side of the loom'at which he is standing at any particular time. It will be understood that while for the purpose of illustration I have shown and referred to the head-motion as being at the right of the means at said loom side whereby the weavermay operate the harnesses manually, the combination therewith of a cross-shaft rotatably mounted on the loom, a pinion on said shaft at the pattern mechanism side of the loom, a gear meshing with said pinion and operatively connected with the manual harness-' operating means at said loom side, an auxiliary manual member at the opposite side of the loom, a gear adjacent and operable by said auxiliary manual member, and a pinion on the adjacent portion of said shaft and meshing with said last named gear, whereby the weaver may optionally and similarly operate the harnesses from said opposite side of the loom.

2. In a loom of the type having a plurality of harnesses, shedding means, pattern mechanism therefor at one side of the loom, and means at said loom side whereby the weaver may operate the harnesses manually, the combination therewith of a cross-shaft rotatably mounted on the loom, a pinion on said shaft at the pattern mechanism side of the m, a gear meshing with said pinion and operatively connected with the manual harnessoperating means at said loom side, and an auxiliary manual member at the opposite side of the 100m and connected to the adjacent portion of said cross-shaft, whereby the weaver may optionally and similarly operate the harnesses from said opposite side of the loom.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

RANDOLPH GROMPTON. 

